Residence permits based on work

If you meet all the requirements for a residence permit, the permit is granted and you receive a notification that the application has been approved.

If you need a visa to travel to Iceland a request for an entry visa will be sent to the relevant embassy, see information on which embassies issue such visas.

Issuing a residence permit

Before a residence permit can be issued you must

• attend a photo appointment for the residence permit card, either at the Directorate of Immigration, where you need to make an appointment, or at district commissioners outside the capital area.

  • Remember to bring a passport to confirm your identiy.

• submit a notification of residence.

• undergo a medical examination within two weeks of arrival in Iceland, if applicable.

When you have fulfilled these conditions, the residence permit will be issued, and a residence permit card will be ordered. When the card has been ordered, you will be sent an email and five days later you can pick up the card at the same place where you had the photo appointment.

The Directorate of Immigration sends a request for your legal domicile to be registered in the National Registry to Registers Iceland which allocates you a personal identification number (kennitala).

If you fail to attend a photo appointment, to notify your place of residence or undergo a medical examination within 90 days of being granted a residence permit, the permit will not be issued. This can lead to illegal stay, expulsion and re-entry ban.